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January 2017

Collapsing Roof - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Collapsing roof

With the weight of flagstones on the roof timbers, a Westray roof needs love and attention to keep it keeping the rain …

Drips - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Drips

Drips of water run down the cliffs on Westray.

Green pool - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Green pool

Walking along Westray’s rocky shores through a rock arch and into and out of caves we come across this dripping waterfall with …

Westray Sea Cave - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Westray sea cave

Wandering along the coast of Westray it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s in the cliffs below. Only when there’s a promontory can …

Evening Puffin - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Evening Puffin

A Puffin at the Castle o’ Burrian as the low evening sunlight streams through the grey clouds.

Reading the runes - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Reading the runes

I love the Orkney Museum. Every time I go there I see something else that I’d bypassed on all previous visits. Here’s …

Jay - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Jay – forty years ago in my nature notebooks

Here’s my nature notebook entry from 1976 about Jays: ‘You can not get near them,’ I said. It’s still true. However, with the wonder of modern telephoto lenses, large numbers of megapixels, and heavy cropping, it appears now that you can.

Wrinkled and cracked - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Wrinkled and cracked

The exposed rocks of Westray are endlessly fascinating even if you’re not a geologist.

Puffin Watchers - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Puffin watchers

Looking back at my photographs from the summer I found this one. I’m a keen photographer of the Puffins on Westray: I …

Snaky Noust - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Fish scales at Snaky Noust

‘Scattered fish scales of Osteolepis are common at Snaky Noust.’ From the wonderful Westray Heritage Centre.

Wet Pebbles - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Wet pebbles

The pebbles are beautiful and wet inside the mouth of this sea cave on Westray.

Frozen Moment - The Hall fo Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Frozen Moment

The sea on Westray is so clean and clear when the waves crash and it bubbles and foams in the air.

Mandarin Duck - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Ducks are one of the most spectacular birds in existence. They are originally from the Far East and were introduced to …

Telegraph insulator - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Telegraph insulator

I recognised this piece of pottery on a Westray beach instantly. It’s that bit attached to a telegraph pole which insulates it. …

Seaweed - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Colourful seaweed

I always had a sneaking suspicion that seaweed was all that strange brown colour. Not so. Just look: